March 6, 2019

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T H O M P S O N R I V E R S U N I V E R S I T Y ' S I N D E P E N D E N T S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R

VOLUME 28 · ISSUE 21 · MARCH 6, 2019

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DR. BRIAN GOLDMAN SPEAKS AT TRU

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BOOK BY TRU PROF ON UN READING LIST

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MVB PLAYOFF HOPES CUT SHORT

Indigenous Awareness Week: flint knapping with Ed Jensen Farrah Johnson CONTRIBUTOR Ω As part of Indigenous Awareness week, a three-hour workshop on flint knapping, facilitated by weapons specialist Ed Jensen, was held in the Brown Family House of Learning on Feb. 27.

Flint knapping is an ancient practice used by hunter-gatherers centuries ago to survive in the wilderness.

The art form, which consists of making arrowheads and other weapons by flaking and chipping stones, is also a traditional practice in Indigenous communities.

Jensen, who is a member of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc band, said that his flint knapping started out as “crude and non-technical” when he was a child but he managed to perfect the craft as he matured.

“Basically I was breaking and shaping rocks because I had learned how to make bows,” he said. “I was sort of

raised as a hunter, so I always had this fascination with weaponry.”

Jensen added that his experience with building bows introduced him to the art of making arrows since he needed projectiles for his weapon.

See INDIGENOUS AWARENESS WEEK Page 5

A selection of Ed Jensen's traditional arrowheads he made during last Wednesday's session. Jensen's flint knapping session was part of Indigenous Awareness Week at TRU. (Aidan Grether/Ω)

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MARCH 6, 2019

NEWS

Canadian doctor previews the future of our healthcare Dr. Brian Goldman opens conversations of healthcare efficiency and disruptive innovation Cailyn Mocci ARTS EDITOR Ω Is the public healthcare system on its way toward full digitization? Will long clinic waits and concerns over the low availability of family practitioners a thing of the past?

Canadian physician and host of popular CBC radio show, White Coats, Black Art, Dr. Brian Goldman spoke to a crowd of Kamloops locals on the changing landscape of Canada’s public healthcare system, as part of TRUSU’s Common Voices Lecture Series.

Goldman prefaced his lecture

by admitting a fault he has witnessed in the medical realm, that change can be difficult to set in motion among his fellow practitioners.

“People who run healthcare are risk-averse,” said Goldman, “Their first thought is ‘Oh it’s too risky.’ As if to say that everything they’re doing is just fine

Brian Goldman used examples of companies like Uber creating new alternatives to existing systems to show how disruptive innovation can benefit programs in the Canadian healthcare system. (Justin Moore/The Omega)

right now.”

While focused on the medical field, Goldman laid down the groundwork for what is known as “disruptive innovation.”

This term was first defined and analyzed by American scholar Clayton M. Christensen.

Disruptive innovation is innovation that creates a new market and in time disrupts existing markets thus displacing those who have already established leading status. An example that Goldman gave the Kamloops crowd was Uber replacing the traditional taxi industry.

How does this relate to the current landscape of Canada’s healthcare system? Goldman suggests that this notion of disruptive innovation has been functioning in our medical system for decades.

“One of the ways to sort of surf through disruptive innovation is to get paid to think, not to do,” Goldman said. “The more you get paid to do, the more you get seduced by providing services and often those services are at the bottom of your training and scope.”

Example number one Goldman presented was the innovation of laparoscopic

surgery and the added benefits to recovery and efficiency for both patient and physician. This early example of disruptive innovation is an excellent example of how this can benefit care for patients.

Goldman suggests that our smartphones have become such a powerful machine that they may be able to replace a number of follow-up exams, thus reducing unnecessary wait times.

The creation of B.C.-operated “virtual house call” company Viva Care, eases the heavy traffic of walk-in clinics with their video-chat-style consulting.

These services can be used for prescription refills, lab result follow-ups and medical advice.

Goldman spoke highly of the chance to digitize the medical world he works daily in. With the technologies that are available, often at far more cost efficient prices than the equipment currently being used, why not use it?

The future of Canada’s public healthcare system has a lot of growing to do and if open to change, can see this growth realized by accepting possible disruptive innovations with open arms.

Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion sees National Energy Board approval With the approval comes 156 conditions for how the project will function if approved by the Government of Canada Justin Moore STAFF WRITER Ω Last month saw another victory for the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. With decisions still needing to be made on a federal level regarding the actual construction of the pipeline, the National Energy Board's decision to approve the project has caused some significant waves in the discussion.

After 155 days of conversation from Indigenous groups, government departments, analysis of requested information and other factors listed on their website the NEB approved the project expansion quoting Canadian public interest. Although, this decision comes with new recommendations and heavy conditions that will have to be followed if the project is built.

A broad scope of this reconsideration was focused on environmental impacts of this proposed expansion, leading to many of the strict conditions included in the report.

The Salish Sea saw most of this attention, the NEB calling it a "not necessarily well-understood ecosystem," and "not the healthy environment it once was."

Right now the Salish Sea, an 18,000-square-kilometre body of water, is home to a population of over 35 types of mammals,

170 species of bird, 240 kinds of fish and 3,000 species of invertebrates. It also has a high-traffic of vessels coming to and from the B.C. coast, contributing noise and contaminants to the water.

For these reasons, the NEB is calling for less environmental stressors on this environment, calling for changes in all vessel traffic such as BC Ferries, whale watching tours and the anticipated increase of oil shipping traffic if the project is approved.

If the Trans Mountain Expansion goes through, over 890,000 barrels of oil will leave the Westridge Marine Terminal per day as opposed to the current 300,000 heading to Washington State, California and Asia.

The terminal would also see an update.

Examinations for the reconsideration went beyond environmental concerns caused by the project. The Board also took into consideration the social and economic factors of the pipeline, the voices for Indigenous rights and an overall pro-con analysis of the project.

In total 118 intervenors were brought in to provide information. Evidence and supportive facts came from Trans Mountain, government departments and Indigenous groups who provided oral traditional evidence in Calgary, Victoria and Nanaimo.

A portion of the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, which is owned by Kinder-Morgan. (Flickr/Niall Williams) In the end, it will still come down to the federal government to make the final decision when it comes to approving the final project, with many in B.C. in opposition to the project and

Premier John Horgan even writing the following on Twitter: "Minister @GeorgeHeyman & I remain convinced #TransMountain is not in the best interests of British Columbians.

We will continue to stand up for BC & defend our environment, the tens of thousands of jobs that depend on it & southern resident orcas from the risk of an oil spill."

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26th annual International Days to kick off March 11

fill a gap

Themes this year include sustainability, peace and justice Christian Varty NEWS EDITOR Ω It’s that time of year again.

International Days at TRU is rapidly approaching. This year’s IDays will be the 26th time the event has been celebrated on campus since its inception in 1994. When IDays first began it was attended by around 30 students but has since grown to a massive week-long festival. The series of events begins on March 11 and goes until the end of the week.

“IDays is basically an opportunity to share culture and international experience and to celebrate the diverse community we have at TRU and in Kamloops. As you know we have over 3000 international students so we love how our students

are so engaged in the community and on campus. It’s a great way to show their culture to other people,” Carolina Bovi, social media coordinator for TRU World told The Omega. “Every year we focus on something different and we try and connect the keynote speaker to all the events that are happening with that theme. This year we’re focusing on a lot on engaging staff and the community and having events that are open to everyone. We don’t have as many events as last year because we’re focused on bringing big keynote speakers.”

If magnitude and size is one of the goals for IDays this year, then TRU World has certainly achieved that with the first speaker of the week.

“One of our keynote speakers this year is Amanda Lindhout. Amanda’s

story is really cool. She was an independent journalist and she went to Somalia to cover some sort of news and then she got kidnapped and she came back to Canada and wrote a book about it. We’re having a huge event where there will be 700 to 800 people and she’ll be able to tell her story and about what she talks about in her book,” Bovi said.

Lindhout will be speaking from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. for free on Monday, March 11 in the Grand Hall room located on the second floor of the Campus Activity Centre. Lindhout released the New York Times bestseller, A House in the Sky, which is a recounting of the 15 months she spent as a captive of a militant Islamic group in Somalia.

“This year the team is celebrating culture, diversity and innovation.

So IDays a few years ago we started to follow the sustainable UN goals.

This year we’re focusing on sustainable communities and access to quality education, peace, justice and sustainable institutions and partnership as a means to achieve goals,” Bovi explained.

While last year the focus was on different culinary approaches around the world, food will still play a pivotal role in the celebration this year. Throughout the week there will be a multitude of different cultures showcased through traditional cuisine at multiple venues on campus. The countries include but are not limited to, Japan, India, Ecuador and Mexico. More in-depth information on where and when these events and more can be found by visiting the IDays schedule page on the TRU website.

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Now in its 26th year, IDays has been a major success not just for TRU but the entire Kamloops community. Celebrations start March 11. (FILE PHOTO)

in your program Athabasca University has over 850 courses to choose from to meet your needs and courses start every month. AU has over 6,600 transfer agreements around the world (including with this institution).

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MARCH 6, 2019

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Conservative MPs talk politics at TRU The TRU Conservative Club invited MPs Rachael Harder and Cathy McLeod to speak last Sunday Robert Younger CONTRIBUTOR Ω MPs Rachael Harder and Cathy McLeod visited TRU this past Sunday, March 3 for a small yet close discussion with students and non-students alike in an event hosted by the Student Conservative Club.

Harder is a conservative member of parliament and represents Lethbridge, Alberta in the House. She studied sociology at the University of Lethbridge then worked as a social scientist before becoming the youngest woman ever elected to the Canadian Legislature.

McLeod is our local MP from Kamloops, who graduated as a registered nurse from the University of Western Ontario. She is the former mayor of Pemberton and

worked on several parliamentary committees.

Starting with a discussion on the current state of affairs of the federal government, Harder discussed the situation with SNC-Lavalin. The Quebec-based company has been accused and is under active investigation for bribing the regime of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office was accused of interfering with Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould’s investigation into the corporation.

Harder said that the situation with SNC-L is “the straw that broke the camel's back” for the Trudeau administration. Stressing that the Prime Minister’s conduct is “seriously wrong” and that the CPC is asking for Trudeau’s resignation, an RCMP investigation into the matter and criminal charges.

Harder then added that this isn’t the first time Trudeau has been up to misconduct with multiple trips to private islands with billionaires and the groping of a reporter contradictory to his claims of being Canada’s “first feminist prime minister.” She then added how Canada’s freedoms have been also eroded by Justin Trudeau’s house of cards. Saying that “freedom is being slowly hammered away by our government” with increasing taxes and restrictions on speech.

She went on to speak in great concern on bills like M-103, which she said give special privileges and favours to Islamic communities.

She added that taxes and regulations are ”hindering our creativity” and handcuffing our energy sector with bills like C-69. Such attacks on our own industry growth “has never been seen in another country

before and is unthinkable,” she said.

The conversation then shifted from current political discussion to how students and youth engage with politics.

“It’s hard for the conservative party to connect with youth. As public administrators, we need to represent the public and understand it better,” she said.

She then asked students to speak on ways that the Conservative party could better reach the demographic of ages 18-34. Discussed were better publicity campaigns and why Trudeau firmly had this demographic during the last election.

Both Members of Parliament said that his legalization of marijuana was how he cornered the youngest demographic in this country, along with the bias of many media outlets and institutions.

“Most people at school don’t understand or have an interest in politics,” said an 18-year-old highschool student about people his age.

Harder also spoke on the fact that students feel they have to slant or curb their political views in order to pass classes.

“Very wrong for educators to push political views into their curriculum. Schools should encourage ideas debate and question them not force ideological agendas on students,” Harder said.

The meeting ended up being a great success for discussion.

However, many questions still remained on how public administrators can reach out and represent the youth better in politics.

As Harder said “it's the House of Commons, it's for common people.”

said about his personal experience in the field. “One of the reasons we wrote the book was a way to make our case or our argument of the

changing nature of security and also just kind of capture what we’ve been working on, both of us, for the past nearly two decades.”

TRU professor endorsed by UN Rob Hanlon’s book has been placed on a UN reading list Christian Varty NEWS EDITOR Ω While the book Thompson Rivers University political science professor Rob Hanlon co-authored with Ken Christie came out in 2016, it has just recently been added to a list of publications endorsed by the United Nations. Freedom from Want/ Freedom from Fear: An Introduction to Human Security is a book that explores a wide range of issues that affect human security, including climate change, terrorism and poverty.

“Getting on this list not only impacts the UN infrastructure itself where UN officers and contractor and collaborators can look to do get a deeper understanding of human security but it also shares and builds on some of the bigger challenges that the UN is facing. So it’s quite exciting to be put on that list,” Hanlon said about being placed the reading

list. “It just got put on there, we weren’t even given notice. As we do lots of research on human security we’re always looking for new material and for who’s writing on what and trying to build up the discipline. And so we came across it just last month that it had been added to that list.”

This isn’t the only time that the two have partnered up to release works in the discipline of human security either.

“I’ve known Ken for almost ten years. I originally met Ken through his research. So he’s been working on rights and human security in Asia for decades. We crossed paths in different parts of the world. He was in Singapore when I was in Hong Kong at the time,” Hanlon said about their professional relationship.

“We started collaborating on projects at the time I was teaching, for this book, a course in human security at Simon Fraser University and the publisher had reached out

to me wondering why I wasn’t using a textbook and so I’d said, ‘Well you know the book isn’t written, the book needs to be written on this stuff,’ And so they said, ‘Can you write the book for us?’ and then I approached Ken and said ‘Ken, do you want to co-author this?’”

The book is a reflection on what the two have been working on separately for many years now and is an amalgamation of their experiences in the field.

“When I finished my undergrad I went abroad and just worked for human rights groups for about ten years. So again, what I found was this difference between what I was told in classes and what was in the literature and the theory and what was happening on the ground. It was quite shocking for me at least. I learned more in the first two weeks working on human rights in a country like Cambodia or Thailand then I did when I did four years of an undergraduate program,” Hanlon

Former Attorney General testifies to House of Commons Christian Varty NEWS EDITOR Ω The most recent scandal involving the Canadian government consists of senior officials allegedly attempting to persuade the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould to allow Canadian engineering giant SNC-Lavalin to take a corporate plea deal against their corruption charges. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ran for office he vowed that if we were elected he would make sure that he brought transparency back to Canada.

Whether the intent was genuine or not, the Trudeau government has found itself wading in a bog of bad

public relations and scandalous behaviour for much of their time in office.

After the story initially broke on Feb. 7, the following two and a half weeks saw the Prime Minister’s Office changing stories multiple times while Wilson-Raybould was relegated to silence under legal privilege. Wilson-Raybould eventually broke her silence in a Feb. 27 presentation to the House of Commons during which time she alleged that multiple high ranking officials from the government pressured her on her decisions regarding the SNC-Lavalin case.

“For a period of approximately four months between September and December 2018, I experienced a consistent and sustained effort

by many people within the government to seek to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion in my role as the Attorney General of Canada in an inappropriate effort to secure a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with SNC-Lavalin,” Wilson-Raybould said as part of her statement to the House. “[Ben Chin, Bill Morneau’s Chief of Staff] said to [Jessica Prince, Wilson-Raybould’s Chief of Staff] that if they don’t get a DPA, they will leave Montreal, and it’s the Quebec election right now, so we can’t have that happen.”

The deferred prosecution agreement in question refers to a remedial clause that was included in Canada’s 2018 omnibus budget bill. The DPA would be used

similarly as a plea deal would but for corporations. SNC-Lavalin has reportedly taken meetings and tried to evoke this new clause in their current court case.

The Montreal based engineering et al firm has been mired in controversy and impending corruption charges for over a decade now.

They were the perpetrators of what has been deemed the largest fraud case in Canadian history, the McGill University Health Centre scandal. Their scope of fraudulent behaviour extends beyond domestic borders and even involved collusion with foreign dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his son. From 2001 until 2011 internal court documents divulged that SNC Lavalin had spent over $45

million to influence senior officials in the Libyan government.

If SNC-Lavalin is found guilty of the charges, they will be unable to take on federal projects for ten years. As it stands right now, SNC-Lavalin has already won several federal contracts in various sectors, including most prominently a $6.3 billion dollar infrastructure project in Montreal.

SNC-Lavalin has long been a huge player in Quebec. Their current headquarters is based in Montreal and the company employees 3,400 people in the province. As uncertainty looms over the continuation of a Liberal government, Quebec will prove to be a significant player in the upcoming election.

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Indigenous Awareness Week comes to TRU

Secwepemc weapons specialist Ed Jensen hosts workshop on the art of traditional flint knapping CONTINUED (COVER) “My arrows started as very crude sticks with whatever feathers I could find to put on the end of them and a lot of times a shard of glass, stuff that wasn’t really accurate but did the trick,” he said.

Still, he explained that as he grew older he realized that there was a “technology involved”in flint knapping and that the practice was very common all over the world.

“Every culture in the world did this at some point (because) it was necessary for survival. It was man learning how to adapt to his environment to feed himself. Before there were cave paintings, there were building tools,” he stated.

Jensen said this factor inspired him to look into the past and visit museums.

“I was really fascinated by the works my ancestors did in this area and I would go home and I would try to replicate their work. I started

doing the research and (then) I started learning the techniques,” he explained.

Jensen said while archaeologists do have a basic understanding of flint knapping, he believes there is a “depth in the technology” that goes way deeper than anything that he learned from them.

Still, he insisted that his expertise only came from practicing consistently and learning from his mistakes.

“I learned things that work, I learned things that didn't work and what I’m teaching here today works,” he said.

Jensen said that flint knapping is very important to him because it is a way to showcase his Secwepemc culture.

“We have the oldest necessary art form. We didn't have the luxury of carving and painting because we had to work hard year round because of our harsh winters,” he

Celebrated artist and weapons specialist Ed Jensen shows how to make arrowheads. (Aidan Grether/The Omega) explained.

He added that a lot of traditions present in Indigenous cultures revolve around First Nations communities striving to survive winter.

TRU hosts rattle making seminar

Kel-c Jules shows students how to make Indigenous rattles Christian Varty NEWS EDITOR Ω As part of Indigenous Awareness Week, TRU has partnered with local Indigenous artist Kel-c Jules. Jules is an artist who works in partnership with the local school district as an Aboriginal education worker to help teach young people about the value

of traditional Tk’emlups te Secwepemc art.

“I work for the school district as an aboriginal education worker.

I’m also an artist,” Jules told The Omega. “I’ve had works in Arnica, the Vancouver airport, loads of other places. I like teaching it, that’s why I’m here. I like to teach as much as I can so as soon I learn something new, I teach it. I actually just learned how to make rattles last Summer. I like using

Kel-c Jules, an Aboriginal education worker paints a rattle she showcased at a seminar. This was part of Aboriginal Awareness Week. (Christian Varty/Ω)

materials people have and are accessible. So these [rattles] are actually just dog chews that are rolled up. We soak them, cut out the shape, sew them together, fill them with sand, let them dry and then paint them.”

While this is not how rattles were conventionally made, Jules says that this approach is more affordable and easier for people to learn.

“You can use different materials as well, so proper rawhide, you can use that. If I was going to make something for an art gallery or for the airport perse, I wouldn’t be using dog chews,” she said. “I would use proper deer or moose hide.”

Rattles and drums are not the only thing that Jules teaches her students. She also teaches pine needle basket weaving and all about the Secwepemc culture more broadly, ranging from tools and technology to the language and to traditions.

Much of the art Jules commissions is based on her experience with residential schools. But rather than being weighed down by the crimes of the past she aims to rise above the connotations commonly associated with the schools.

“How I view it is, it’s not something that victimizes me. I’m not a victim of it. My grandma and my dad went but that doesn’t mean I have to dwell in the past and stay there. It’s something that’s more empowering to me and if I can teach other people, the young people, how to overcome certain things that might hold them back then I’m doing my job. That’s my goal, to show them that it doesn’t have to hold you back.”

In fact, he stated that art forms like flint knapping and building better bows are just some of the technology that prove this fact.

“This is as basic and advanced

as I could go with people that have never done it before. When everybody walks away here today they’ll have a couple of pieces complete,” he said.

Bread, bannock, jams and jellies

Attendees of TRU's bannock competition last week were given the opportunity to try bannock, fry bread and jam. (Aidan Grether/The Omega)

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MARCH 6, 2019

NEWS

Entrepreneurs share their lessons learned Local startup owners discuss their highlights and struggles of starting and growing a business Juan Cabrejo BUSINESS EDITOR Ω The TRU generator’s latest segment of their startup basics series showcased a discussion panel last Tuesday featuring four local business owners willing to share their learning journey regarding kickstarting and managing a business. The group featured Venture Kamloops' economic

development manager Nicole Bruce, Open Gaming Solutions CEO Chris Wright, Royal Inland Hospital Foundation's director community partnerships and philanthropy Julie Kimmel and Jeff Masigan, founder of Pixel Architect. Each provided insight on their own business ventures along with some of the knowledge they've acquired along the way.

A common theme among all the panellists’ successful business

ventures was to start or invest in a business that was in line with their core values and interests, along with establishing a thorough business plan at the beginning. For Nicole Bruce, her best investments were the ones in businesses she was passionate about, including The Kids Room and Shuswap Infusion Tea Company.

“In retrospect, I would have to say that all of my business ideas were very tightly woven with the

Left: VK's economic development manager Nicole Bruce, Open Gaming Solutions CEO Chris Wright, RIH Foundation's director community partnerships Julie Kimmel and Jeff Masigan Pixel Architect's founder. (Juan Cabrejo/The Omega)

stage in life that I was at in my interests,” she said. “Definitely alongside all my passions and interests I’ve found an opportunity to start a business but underlying it all is good research to make sure that idea is viable.”

Jeff Masigan landed in web development unintentionally after beginning his career as in film motion graphics and effects. He mastered his web developing skills in producing websites for movie trailers and after working with a graphic design and web agency in Vancouver for some time, he decided to pursue his venture by slowly finding clients.

For Masigan, there are no bad ideas for a business, just poorly planned and executed ones.

“Maybe nine years ago if you told me, ‘Hey would you want to go on a website and book a random room in some guys house and book that for your vacation?’ I would be like no that’s stupid why would I do that,” he chuckled. “Here we are with Airbnb, a tremendous multi-billion-dollar company that came out of some guy’s idea; there are no bad ideas, just poorly executed ones.”

For students nearing graduation, it can be a difficult choice to decide whether to enter the workforce immediately or pursue a business venture, not to mention significant additional hindrances like student loans. For Bruce and Masigan, their time working for organizations

was crucial for their introduction into the entrepreneurial world; however, witnessing getting trapped in the corporate world, Chris Wright suggests that starting early may be the optimal time for kickstarting a business.

“I would consider [starting a business] if I were young, one, if you can start in the corporate world you might get trapped, it’s too easy not to change and I would be wary of that," he said. “The other thing is if things go really sideways and you overleverage yourself to death, you’re still young and it’s easier to clear yourself up when you’re 20 than when you’re 40.”

Julie Kimmel suggests the idea of exploring different opportunities and starting a business at a slower pace, more as a side hustle rather than a full commitment. Much like Wright’s point of view, starting young often equates to the least amount of additional responsibilities, fostering an ideal environment for entrepreneurship.

“I feel like if you’re passionate about something and if you can start small without putting a lot of money into it, you can start that way while you’re doing something else,” she said. “At this point in your lives, depending on who you are, you may have the least responsibility you’ll ever have, especially if it’s just you without a partner, without children, without a house; there’s a lot less to lose.”

Sociology professor presents research on Canadian organ donation Discussion on organ supply, questions of consent and Canada’s underperformance Juan Cabrejo BUSINESS EDITOR Ω As part of the latest addition to the arts colloquium series, sociology professor Lindsey McKay shared her decade-long research on organ donation in Canada and addressed the severe lack of organ supply nationally. She explained how the common understanding of organ donation comes down to scarcity and lack of consent.

“Our common understanding is to think about scarcity being the problem, so that means supply, the supply of organs is the problem,” she said. “Scarcity is also caused by lack of consent, sometimes you hear talk of possible efficacy so the ability for physicians and nurses and the whole system to get the organs, but I’m going to focus on consent because that’s the other crucial piece.”

Canada uses an ‘opt-in’ system for organ donation consent, meaning a donor has to state their consent explicitly. This has translated to less than 20 per cent of the population registering as an organ donor. Some European countries like Spain, Austria, Wales and France, use a presumed consent system or ‘opt-out’ system, providing for some of the highest organ donation rates worldwide.

Despite this disparity in donation rates between both systems, McKay argues there isn’t enough evidence to suggest that one system is dramatically better than the other.

“The problem is there’s actually no evidence. This is incredibly popular, it’s been introduced in Wales, there’s a report in Scotland I looked up the other day saying, ‘Well actually, there may not be a lot of strong evidence,’” she said.

“It’s true that the countries with good national donation rates like Spain have the opt-out system but it’s actually not backed up by evidence.”

McKay expresses how the conversation about organ supply is often from the perspective of the organ recipient and rarely from the organ donor. She suggests the discourse should be focused on risk management and ways to reduce or prevent the demand for organs rather than finding ways to harvest more.

“It’s always from the position of someone who needs the organs, we don’t see the other side, she said.

“It’s a form of power, it shapes the organization of this exchange and focuses entirely on supply, so you don’t think about how someone comes to need an organ and whether there are alternatives to reduce the demand, you’re simply invited to think about the need for more organs.”

Sociology professor Lindsey McKay suggests that, as a society, we should be focusing on ways to reduce or prevent the demand for organs rather than finding ways to harvest more. (Juan Cabrejo/The Omega) Since the beginning of organ transplantation procedures, there has always a polemical debate on the eligibility of deceased donors within the medical community, essentially defining whether death is determined by the heart or the brain and rules around that. In all Canadian provinces and territories, brain death is legally defined as

“according to medical practice” and it’s really up to the individual hospital to determine the point of death. This has left much ambiguity emphasizing the cruciality of consent. Despite this uncertainty, according to McKay’s research, even if the entire pool of potential organ donors were to be converted successfully, it still wouldn’t

be enough to fulfill the demand for organs. At the end of the day, consent is critically important, but it is only as good as the pool size of potential donors.

“This really shows that maybe we have to look at this from another way, maybe we have to reduce the [organ donation] waitlist and think about demand,” she added.

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ARTS

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ARTS

MARCH 6, 2019

Kamloops Film Festival back on the big screen KFS teams up with podcast Drunk in a Graveyard for the festival's 23rd year Cailyn Mocci and Wade Tomko ARTS EDITOR Ω Time to load up on popcorn and movie snacks because it’s that time of year again. The annual Kamloops Film Festival is back for their 23rd year.

Here’s what to expect from this year’s two-week festival.

This year’s festival is home to an array of genres to fit any taste.

Audiences are not limited to those who consider themselves movie buffs. The genres range from dramas, comedies, award winners and horror to name a few.

The goal of the Kamloops Film Festival is to open the minds of Kamloops residents and provides a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for getting involved.

Whether you partake in one or all of the films, the Kamloops Film Society guarantees a good time.

Operated and selected by the Kamloops Film Society, the film festival is home to films that may not get to see the big screen in Kamloops. By offering these films, both international and domestic, it offers the chance to diversify Kamloops' film consumption.

Like a festival within a festival, Kamloops Film Society has been working this year with podcast Drunk in a Graveyard to present

this year’s rendition of Darkfest, the section within the festival dedicated exclusively to the horror genre that is often left out of other festivals.

Drunk in a Graveyard, hosted

by Robin Goodfellow, explores everything horror, heavy metal and bizarre during their weekly shows. While the fledgling podcast only started two years ago, they have since garnered a large social media following, as such KFS approached Drunk in a Graveyard for help in organizing this year’s Darkfest.

“We were at a screen writing event. Dusan Magdolen, who is the executive director of the Kamloops Film Society. He started talking to us about our interest in horror films and he invited us to come and try to get some hype going around Darkfest and get some of the younger faces in the crowd,” Goodfellow said.

In this year’s Darkfest, movie-goers will be treated to The House that Jack Built, a film following the 12-year killing span of highly-intelligent serial killer Jack, and Suspiria, a reimagining of Dario Argento’s 1977 film of the same name. Viewers of Suspiria will also be treated to a pre-show performance by the Caravan of Curiosities Circus and Sideshow. “[Caravan of Curiosities] are a

Vancouver circus and sideshow and the main performer is Tristan Risk, she’s a horror film actress,” Goodfellow said. “She was in American Mary and the ABCs of Death 2. She is quite common to genre. And then there is Burns the Dragon, he’s a body-modified sideshow performer. They are going to be performing to the music of Suspiria. We’ll also be debuting Tristan Risk’s short film Parlour Tricks.”

The 2019 film festival will also include award-winning films such as Roma, directed and written by Alfonso Cuaron.

As well as full-length motion pictures, the Kamloops Film Society will also be presenting their annual short film festival, KISS (Kamloops Independent Short Short Film Festival). Each film is no longer than five minutes and is produced within the TNRD. Winners from last year’s KISS Festival will have their works featured before full-length films during the festival.

If you’re planning on checking out the entirety of the festival or simply popping in for one or two shows, TRU students can purchase tickets at a discounted rate. Thanks to TRUSU, every TRU student is a member of the Kamloops Film Society and will receive single film tickets for $5.

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Album review: Never Let Her Go by Dream Cars An enjoyable yet directionless indie pop release by the Vancouver-based band Christian Varty NEWS EDITOR Ω There’s a certain nostalgia in the burn-out rock produced by Vancouver locals Dream Cars. Never Let Her Go is the first full length by the band, and a noticeable improvement in quality form their first two EPs that came out in 2014 and 2016. The production takes cues from 80s new wave acts as well as early 90s dream pop guitar stylings throughout the record. The song 1995 balances three decades of musical influence into a style that permeates much of this record. The gated reverb on the drum fills sound like a cut was right out of a Genesis record while the vocals are affected by a certain fuzzy tone that would lend itself well to the garage rock resurgence we’ve seen in recent years.

There’s a certain cheesiness to the album that actually does come of as endearing and authentic rather than an impediment when the band dives into a prettier approach like on the final track of the record 56 Years. The guitar sections are hauntingly and surprisingly gorgeous when they’re not being offset by the goofy synth rhythms and toy-like drum beat. It’s this balance that has become a recent mainstay in contemporary indie rock music with acts like Mac DeMarco and Boy Pablo receiving acclaim.

At times Dream Cars takes their music into vague boundaries of psychedelia with a lethargic onslaught of distortion through various guitar, synth and drum effects. Moments like this on songs such as Rhythm of the Lonely Hearted prove to be low points on the record. Especially when compared to the less convoluted pop forward tracks like Heart of Saturday and Without a Name.

Dream Cars prove that they are capable of taking certain risks in production style. They’re decidedly not emulating other contemporary artists too closely but unfortunately they fall short of achieving anything that can be instantly recognizable as their own unique sound. The band is nostalgic in a way that is reminiscent of other slacker rock groups in a post-Mac DeMarco world, but don’t step out of the crowd quite enough to be venerated. Often times the band feels like they’re going through the proverbial motions like on the track Factory Lad. All of their components are there but it’s missing a definitive personality.

It’s evident that the band has a lot of potential, and are willing to go against the grain (even if only at a 30 degree angle), so hopefully they can keep up their output.

7.0/10 - A short drive with nothing to think about

Review: Alita: Battle Angel Apex Legends and the future of battle royale A live-action anime in the flesh Morgan Hunter CONTRIBUTOR Ω Alita: Battle Angel is one of the few instances where a western adaptation of a film actually provides an enjoyable story worth watching. The entire film feels like retro anime with both heart and action.

Alita: Battle Angel is set in the future where Alita, an abandoned android found in a junk heap by a local doctor, learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City all the while trying to discover the truth of her past.

While the story sounds simple enough, there is actually quite a lot to the film. Yet, there will be points where it has so much action

that it becomes exhausting. It’s only natural, however, the plot is one of the best parts about these films. The lore that is given here is so interesting that it only begets further research after the film.

The main character is played

by Rosa Salazar and is completely CGI for the entire film. This can be a bit jarring for the first 15-20 minutes but does become bearable and honestly isn’t noticeable when the action begins.

When it comes to the action specifically, that alone is worth seeing, with multiple scenes taking the breath of the audience away, as well as keeping viewers at the edge of their seats. There was a great amount of detail given to this movie and it shows throughout with every set piece.

The one major flaw in this film is the love story at its core. The love story more or less holds the plot back and it just doesn’t deliver due to Alita’s love interest Hugo.

In addition to this, the villain isn’t present for most of the film and his story takes a major backseat compared to Alita’s identity, which didn’t appear to be the intention of the film itself.

Overall, people should go see this just for the experience in theatres alone. The 3-D is excellent (which is rare for films these days), the acting from the lead and Christoph Waltz are phenomenal and the action is so stimulating that you’ll leave the theatre energized.

Is the newest major battle royale game set to break the mould?

Morgan Hunter CONTRIBUTOR Ω Apex Legends was recently released for most platforms (except switch because Nintendo can’t play nice) and many are calling it the most dominant battle royale out there, although it didn’t take a lot to be. Apex is the type of game that takes all the previous popular renditions of the battle royale formula and blends them all with a dash of Overwatch and somehow works exceptionally well.

The focus of Apex Legends is to pick from a variety of “legends” (character classes) and play alongside two other players in order to be the last team alive. While all this is happening, there is a storm that continuously shrinks the map, pushing groups towards combat.

The concept of Apex was basically to take the team focus from PUBG, the cartoonish nature of Fortnite, the first person gameplay/gun mechanics from Black Ops 4 and use the hero system of Overwatch to complete their potluck of a game. And it honestly works.

The gameplay is the fastest-paced game of its genre with games lasting 10-25 minutes at most, yet keeps an intense atmosphere along with it.

The gameplay mechanics are very beginner friendly, however, become somewhat complex after playing 2-3 games. It never becomes too complex, but for the first hours, there will need to be an adaptive period for players.

The genre has taken on wildly

different appearance since it’s origins, which came from a Minecraft mod-server called Hunger Games.

Since then, the big name in the genre that has been PUBG, which took a more serious approach yet had the public pay for it. This was then topped

by Fortnight: Battle Royale which was released for free.

What separates Apex from the rest of its competitors are two things, its revival system (which leaves for better matches) and its hero abilities. The

revival system gives players better odds at playing compared to others that just leave the player staring at a loading screen half the time. While the "ultimates" (special abilities) have a very unique nature that can often be fun to either initiate or avoid.

Yet predecessors will soon follow, and the next battle royale will likely top Apex Legends but it will need to have a major focus on its servers while keeping a good pace of gameplay to be considered a real success.

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COMICS & PUZZLES

MARCH 6, 2019

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Puzzle of the Week #18—As Easy As 1-2-3-4

(in the March 6, 2019 issue of The Omega) In how many sequences can you arrange the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 such that no two consecutive numbers are both odd or both even?

This contest is sponsored by the Mathematics and Statistics department. The full-time student with the best score at the end of the year will win a prize. Please submit your solution (not just the answer but also why) by noon next Wednesday to Gene Wirchenko (<genew@telus.net>). Submissions by others are also welcome. The solution will be posted the Wednesday after that in my blog (http://genew.ca/). Come visit the Math Centre (HL304): we are friendly.

CFBX TOP 30 CFBX 92.5 FM, 350 Watts Kamloops, BC Music Director: Steve Marlow Charts to February 28, 2019 * indicates Canadian Content ** indicates a local artist Artist - Album (Label) 1) Royal Canoe* - Waver (Paper Bag) 2) Dan Mangan* - More or Less (Arts and Crafts) 3) Blue Standard* - A Good Thing (Big Time) 4) Mother Mother* - Dance and Cry (Universal) 5) Abby Zotz* - Local Honey (Independent) 6) Rusty Creek* - Looking Back (Independent) 7) Buildings and Food* - Quick Beat Save (Number F) 8) High Parade* - The Ocean (Independent) 9) Pugs and Crows* - Uncle! (Independent) 10) Eric Bibb - Global Griot (Stony Plain) 11) Wooden Horsemen* - Past Lives (Independent) 12) Hello Blue Roses* - Trade Winds (Jaz) 13) Harrison* - Apricity (Last Gang) 14) Van Morrison - The Prophet Speaks (Exile) 15) Francine Honey* - To Be Continued (Independent) 16) The Inflatable Band* - Discount Everything (Independent) 17) Jazzlab Orchestra* - Quintessence (Effendi) 18) Ken Workman* - Cold Canadian Nights (Independent) 19) nehiyawak* - starlight EP (Arts and Crafts) 20) The Discarded* - Not From This Town (Independent) 21) Way North* - Fearless and Kind (Independent) 22) Jerome 50* - La Hierarchill (Grosse Boite) 23) Angela Harris* - A Woman Like Me (Independent) 24) Cristian de la Luna* - Sabes (Independent) 25) Mitten Claps* - Can't Not (Independent) 26) Tush* - Do You Feel Excited (Do Right!)

27) Lutra Lutra* - Psychopath and the Philosopher (Independent) 28) Lula Wiles - What Will We Do (Smithsonian Folkways) 29) Twin* - We Rise and Dance, We Sleep and Dream (Independent) 30) Tia McGraff* - Stubborn in My Mind (Bandana)

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SPORTS

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WolfPack MVB playoff hopes cut short by TWU TRU men's volleyball loses to Trinity Western Spartans in the semi-finals Alvin Mutandiro SPORTS EDITOR Ω The season came to end for the WolfPack men’s volleyball team as they lost to a very good Trinity Western team in the Canada West semi-finals.

Trinity Western won the first game in four sets, 25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 25-14 on March 1 at the Langley Events Centre.

The contest was played at an unusually late time as it was preceded by the B.C. high school basketball championships.

TRU had 23 service aces to Trinity’s 20. Trinity Western opened

the contest by winning the first set 25-20.

The second set was a lot tighter as Trinity Western won by three points. In the third set, TRU had a six-point lead before eventually winning the set 25-22.

The fourth set was also competitive with the score at 11-10 early on before Trinity went on a 12-3 run to close it out.

Charlie Bringloe was the best player for TRU with 11 kills in 21 chances, seven digs, one block assist and an assist.

Tim Dobbert had eight kills in 30 chances, two digs, one block assist and one block assist and Tim Edge had seven kills in 16 chances, four

digs, one service ace and a block assist.

“Overall not a bad first night,” said TRU head coach Pat Hennelly to TRU Athletics, “Lots of pressure on that side, a little nervousness from our service line. It showed in our errors. We had some nerves but overall, the guys came out and played well.”

The following evening Trinity Western wrapped up the series with a straight sets win, 25-22, 25-17, 25-21 on March 2, at the Langley Events Centre.

Tim Dobbert once again was the best player for TRU, he had 10 kills in 29 attempts, five digs, one assist, one block assist and Sam Taylor

Parks had 10 kills in 14 chances, four digs, two solo blocks and one block assist.

Tim Edge also had a decent game with four kills in 17 chances, four service aces, one assist, one block assist and a dig.

“Played some pretty solid volleyball. The guys were very good from the start. Credit to Trinity Western for their play,” Hennelly said. “We made some huge strides this year to get back to the top four in Canada West. This group finished as strong as many of the TRU teams which made it to the nationals.”

The ’Pack had a decent regular season finishing with an 11-11 record and in seventh place in

Canada West.

The team’s biggest moment this year was their playoff win against Alberta on the road, a moment that will never be forgotten and one which will go down as an alltime historic achievement for the program.

The challenge for Hennelly and his team will be producing those kinds of performances regularly.

That type of consistency can lead to more success for the program.

The ’Pack are a respectable program but in order to reach the next level they will need to go deeper in the playoffs, that next level won’t be easy to reach but it is attainable.

(TRU Athletics/Scott Stewart)

TRU MBB head coach Scott Clark optimistic about future

Despite failing to qualify for the playoffs, the men's basketball team's future still looks bright Alvin Mutandiro SPORTS EDITOR Ω Sport is all about the details.

Details make a difference in the final result.

A team can play good basketball for three quarters but still lose it in the fourth and a team can shoot well consistently and still lose by one.

For the WolfPack men’s basketball team little details were a factor in the team missing the playoffs.

If you sit down and look at the statistics TRU was good offensively but defensively they were inconsistent and ultimately they paid the price for it.

This is a fact head coach Scott Clark is well aware of. Clark acknowledged that individually the team needs to improve defensively.

“We lost a lot of close games,” Clark said.

He added he felt the team played well enough to win a lot more games but in the key moments the team was unable to

play their best basketball.

TRU was 6-14 this season and finished in 14th place in the Canada West division.

The record doesn’t present evidence of a team with playoff potential but a close examination of scoring statistics does.

Clark also gave special praise to departing player Derek Rhodes, a player who he described as a terrific student and person.

Rhodes averaged the most points for TRU with 14.3 per game.

Clark concluded the subject by voicing his support and wishing

him all the best for the future.

Clark expressed his desire for better recruitment, something that can make or break a college program.

A team can have quality coaching and motivated players but hard work and a positive attitude alone doesn’t lead to success; talent is the most important factor.

He also took responsibility for the team’s performances and admitted that he could do more to help his team and players.

Clark didn’t make the statement

because he has been doing a bad job but because he has an understanding that there is always room for improvement from every individual.

Despite all the challenges, he continues to be optimistic, the one positive going into next season will be that the team will be retaining all their core group of players.

Continuity and growth are key ingredients to a successful team, the ’Pack has the former and will be hoping for the latter next season.

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THE OMEGA

MARCH 6, 2019

Voting March 18 - 22, 2019 All Candidate Forums will take place in the Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union Building. This is your opportunity to ask questions and hear from the candidates.

Executive Representatives Forum - March 12 at 12PM Constituency Representatives Forum - March 13 at 12PM Committee Representatives Forum - March 14 at 12PM

The campaign period will run from March 11- March 22, 2019 If you have questions regarding the TRUSU Election please contact the Electoral Committee at elections@trusu.ca, 250.828.5289, or visit trusu.ca/ elections

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